Messersmith is not only a musician is half-truth, but also a storyteller. His first full-length release The Alcatraz Kid is a moving collection of acoustic-driven lullabies with titles like “Novocain” and “Beautiful Children” that innocently question the purpose of things to come. The integrity of these delicate songs immediately struck a chord with critics and fans alike, and captured the attention of Semisonic’s Dan Wilson, who offered to produce Messersmith’s follow-up album, The Silver City.
The Silver City was a natural progression in sound and reflection: the compositions grew fuller and more dynamic with a classic-pop feel inspired by the Beach Boys and Beatles: While the topics focused on midlife struggles with tracks like “Dead End Job” and “Miracles.” Local and national attention soon followed with NPR and college stations around the country, followed by U.S. tours and sold-out shows in New York, Chicago and Minneapolis.
The Reluctant Graveyard bookends this trilogy of lifelong (ahem, literary) observations with songs like “Lazy Bones” and “Organ Donor,” and sonically continues on the ’60s chamber pop path Messersmith set out with his sophomore release. He continues to share stages with notables such as Sondre Lechre and The Watson Twins, and has been featured on MTV and Ugly Betty.
John the Determinist
Jeremy Messersmith Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wind up the gears, watch them go
People made of spring and sparks
Humming with electric hearts
Hoping for a ghost inside the shell
But if it's there it's hidden well
All we are is ticks and tocks
Oh you silly things
I've got you figured out
Walking on a January lake
I feel the ice around me break
One more ripple in the pond
Stretches out until it's calm
The song "John the Determinist" by Jeremy Messersmith is a commentary on determinism, which is the philosophy that all events, including human actions and choices, are ultimately determined by causes external to the will. The first verse sets the stage for the song's exploration of determinism by describing a scene of mechanical beings, "polished up and standing in a row," who operate like clockwork, "humming with electric hearts." Even though they are made of machinery, and not human beings, their actions are still determined by gears and springs - they have no free will to act otherwise. The chorus highlights this deterministic philosophy with the lyrics, "All we are is ticks and tocks/Seconds in a pocket watch," emphasizing the idea that humans are no different from the mechanical beings in the first verse, and are subject to the same causal determinism.
The second verse contrasts the deterministic viewpoint with a more existential one. The singer walks on a frozen lake in January, and feels the ice break beneath their feet - a moment of unpredictability and spontaneity that can't be accounted for by any external cause. The "ripple in the pond" created by the singer's movement "stretches out until it's calm," representing the idea that even small moments of agency and free will can have ripple effects throughout the world, ultimately contributing to a larger, more complex tapestry of causality.
In summary, "John the Determinist" is a commentary on the philosophical idea of determinism, and the tension between determinism and free will. While the first verse presents the deterministic viewpoint, the second verse hints at the possibility of existential agency and unpredictability.
Line by Line Meaning
Polished up and standing in a row
We are like perfectly crafted machines, lined up in perfect order
Wind up the gears, watch them go
When we're set in motion, we function like clockwork
People made of spring and sparks
We are made up of energy and potential, constantly springing into action
Humming with electric hearts
Our hearts beat like machines, powered by electricity
Hoping for a ghost inside the shell
We hope for something supernatural or spiritual inside of us
But if it's there it's hidden well
However, if it does exist, it's hidden from us and difficult to access
All we are is ticks and tocks
Ultimately, we are just like the ticking of a clock
Seconds in a pocket watch
Our time is finite, and we'll eventually run out
Oh you silly things
Despite this, we continue to hope and aspire for something greater
I've got you figured out
But really, everything about us is predictable and formulaic
Walking on a January lake
We are fragile and can easily be broken, just like ice on a lake
I feel the ice around me break
Our actions can have a ripple effect and cause significant change
One more ripple in the pond
Even small actions can create a chain reaction
Stretches out until it's calm
Eventually though, everything will return to a state of rest and tranquility
Contributed by Jayce W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.